Refrigerator



1 June 12, 19459 e. K. IWASHITA REFRIGERATOR Filed March 6, 1943Patented June 12,, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE p 2,377,941 pREFRIGERATOR 4 George K. Iwashita, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor,

by mesne cuts, to Admiral Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation ofDelaware Application March 6, 1943, Serial No. 478,185

. 12 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators of the dual temperature type andmore particularly to a con struction for preventing the drip ing ofmoisture from the undersides of trays or shelves in the highertemperature compartment.

In refrigerators provided with a plurality of compartments to bemaintained at different temperatures, the food compartment is usuallyheld at about 40 Fahrenheit, whereas other compart- -ments for freezingand maintaining foods in ma chamber from which moisture is excluded bysealing. I preferably cool three of the sidewalls and the top and bottomwalls of the compartment so that the temperature of the cooling surfaceswill be only slightly below the temperature of the air and food in thecompartment. The only uncooled surface from which radiation takes placewhen the compartment is closed is that of the inside of the door. Sincenone of the surfaces exposed to the higher temperature compartment ismaintained below the freezing point, there is no collection of ice uponany of the cooled surfaces, with the result-that the air circulatingwithin the compartment continually comes into contact with moistsurfaces, resulting in the continuous maintenance of a sumclent amountof moisture in the air to prevent the dehydration of stored foods.

My invention relates particularly to the formation of the undersides ofthe shelves in the higher temperature compartment for draining moisturewhich condenses on the undersides of these shelves to the sidewallsofthe compartment to prevent its dripping onto food stored below theshelves. The shelves are preferably made of lass and may be sandblastedor etched on their undersides to aid in the dispersion of the moistureand the prevention of its collection in drops.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in which:

i Fig. 1 is a perspective of a refrigerator cabinet with the door open;

Fig. 2 is a rear edge elevation of one of the lass shelves; a v

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the modiflcation shown in Fig. 5,and

Fig. '2 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of the embodiment shown inFig. 5.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention the highertemperature compartment III has a ceiling l I which slopes rear- Iwardly at such an angle to the horizontal that the moisture whichcollects thereon drains backa wardly to the rear wall i2, instead offorming into globules or drops which-would eventually grow large enoughto drop onto foods stored below. The compartment ii) is provided withshelves M preferably made of glass and provided on their undersides withdepending ribs IS, the bottoms of which slope downwardly into contactwith the 1 rear wall i2. Between the ribs the under surfaces 'of theshelves i4 slope downwardly toward the the Purpose of preventing platesand pans from. contacting with the rear wall i2 in such a man-- ner thatwater draining down the rear wall i2 might be transferred into theplates or pans.

If desired the shelves I 4 may be made in two pieces, as shown in Fig.4, so that the forward part of ashelf may be removed to accommo-.

date tall articles on the shelf below. Wh the shelves M are made in twopieces, the s i8; on the forward piece contact with the ends of the ribsIE on the rearward piece, so that the moisture can pass from one shelfto the other along the bottoms of the sloping ribs.

Attached to the sidewalls andbaclr wall of the compartment in, below thebottom shelf i4, is a gutter 20 sloping downwardly toward tin rear alongthe sidewalls and downwardly toward an intermediate position along theback wall for the collection of moisture running down the walls of thecompartment. At the low point in the gutter, a spout 2| delivers thecollected moisture into a pan 22 resting on the floor of thecompartment.

Fig.73 is a bottom view of one of the shelves;

In accordance with the embodiment shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the ribs 23extend crosswise of the shelves and taper downwardly from a centralposition to thepoints of contact of the ribs with the sidewalls of thehigher temperature compartment. The ribs .23 extend slightly beyond theedges of the shelves to maize contact with the sidep rsion of moisturecondensed-upon the under- ,side of the shelf.

walls of the compartment for the transfer of moisture from the bottomsof the ribs to the sidewalls. The shelves proper are of slightly lesswidth than the width of the compartment to prevent the collection ofmoisture on top of the shelves as it runs down the sidewalls.

The shelves of the modification shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7 arepreferably provided with openings 25 for the circulation of air. Theyare provided with two or more projections 26 (Fig. '7) to prevent theupturned lip 28 at the back of the shelf from contacting the rear wallof the compartment. The shelves of the embodiment of Figs. 5, 6 and '7are conveniently supported by pins 29 extending outwardly a shortdistance from the sidewalls and engaging the shelves between the ribs.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment. of myinvention, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the artthat variations may be made in the construction disclosed withoutdeparting from the basic features of my invention. I therefore donotwish to be limited to the precise construction disclosed, but wish toinclude within the scope of my invention all such modifications andvariations which will readily suggest themselves. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a refrigerator having a compartment cooled by surfaces maintainedabove the freezingtemperature, a shelf for the compartment provided withribs on its underside sloping downwardly into contactwith one of thewalls of the compartment for draining collected moisture to the sidewalland preventing dripping from the underside of the shelf.

2. A glass shelf for a refrigerator compartment provided with aplurality of ridges on its underside, the bottom of the shelf betweenthe ridges sloping toward the ridges, and the bottom edges of the ridgessloping gradually and substantially uniformly into contact with avertical wall of the compartment.

3. Aglass shelf for a refrigerator compartw" ribs sloping substantiallyuniformly downwardly to the rear wall of the compartment.

4. A glass shelf for a refrigerator compartment provided with asubstantially level upper surface, parallel ribs on the under surface ofthe shelf having their bottoms sloping downwardly into contact with avertical wall of the refrigerator compartment, the shelf above the ribsbeing shorter than the ribs so that only the ends of the ribs contactthe compartment wail. 5. A glass shelf for a refrigerator compartmentprovided with ribs on its underside sloping toward and contacting with avertical wall of the compartment, the ribs and the underside of theshelf being sandblasted to aid in the dia- 6. A shelf for a refrigeratorcompartment provided with an upturned edge spaced from the wall of' therefrigerator compartment .andpro-.

vided with parallel ridges on its underside sloping toward andcontacting with the wall from which the shelf is spaced.

' 'l. A shelf for a refrigerator compartment provided with a pluralityof parallel ridges on its underside extending across the compartment andcontacting with the opposite sidewalls of the compartment, thehottoms ofthe ridges sloping from a mid position in the shelf downwardly to thesidewalls.

8. A shelf for a refrigerator compartment prof vided with a plurality ofparallel ridges on its underside extending across the compartment andcontacting with the opposite sidewalls of the compartment, the bottomsof the ridges sloping from a mid position in the shelf downwardly to thesidewalls, the shelf being provided with a plurality of circulationopenings therethrough.

9. A shelf for a refrigerator compartment provided with a plurality ofparallel ridges on its underside extending across the compartment andcontacting with the opposite sidewalls of the compartment, the bottomsof the ridges sloping from a mid position in the shelf downwardly to thesidewalls, the shelf being provided with an upturned edge spaced fromthe 'backwall of the compartment.

10. A shelf for-a refrigerator compartment provided with a plurality ofparallel ridges on its underside extending across the compartment andcontacting with the opposite sidewallsof the compartment, thebottoms ofthe ridges sloping from a mid position in the shelf downwardly to thesidewalls, the shelf proper being of less width than the width of thecompartment, whereby water draining .down the sidewalls of thecompartment will pass the edges of the shelf.

11. A shelf for a refrigerator compartment provided with a plurality ofparallel ridges on its underside extending across the compartment andcontacting with the opposite sidewalls of the compartment, the bottomsof the ridges sloping from a mid position in the shelf downwardly to thesidewalls, the shelf proper being spaced from all of the walls of thecompartment and provided with an upturned edge at the rear to preventdishes from contacting the back wall.

12. In a refrigerator, 0. compartment cooled by surfacesmaintained-above the freezing point of water, said compartment beingprovided with a ceiling sloping to one wallof the compartment fordraining moisture condensed upon the celling to said wall, a shelf forsaid compartment having ribs on its underside sloping downwardlyintocontact with a wall of said compartment for draining moisturecondensed upon said shelf to said wall, the upper surface of said shelfbeing spaced apart from said first-mentioned wall to permit draining ofcondensed moisture, and means near the bottom of said walls for catchingthe flowing moisture.

. GEORGE K. IWASI-IITA.

